Theft of the Hallow
by Spandrell
Summary: A hallow was stolen from Hogwarts. Who stole it, and why? Is there a new Dark Lord around? And what does a water lily have to do with that? Same universe as Baphomet. Slash, SSHP and SBRL.
1. Chapter 1

This detective story is set in the same universe as "Baphomet I/II". It can be read as a standalone, but you may want to read the epilogue of "Baphomet" first, just to understand the circumstances in which the story takes place. (And if you have already read "Baphomet I/II", you may want to reread the epilogue.)

The story will have 3 parts and I'll update soon.

**Title**: Theft of the Hallow  
**Author:** Ptyx  
**Pairings:** Snape/Harry; Sirius/Remus  
**Ratings:** K+  
**Genre:** Detective story. A bit of Humour. AU.  
**Summary:** A hallow was stolen from Hogwarts. Who stole it, and why? Is there a new Dark Lord around? And what does a water lily have to do with that?

THANKS TO my Portuguese betas, La Place, Lekanthir and Morgan D., and to my English betas, Charlie B. and Teka Lynn. You are amazing, and all mistakes that remain are my responsibility.

**WARNING: It's a detective story. Please read the story in order.**

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

**CAST OF CHARACTERS**

**Teachers**

CUTHBERT BINNS (History of Magic teacher) - Since he's a ghost, nobody pays attention to him. Perhaps he knows more than he seems to.

JONATHAN FENCE (Muggle Studies teacher) - Everybody knows that the new Muggle Studies teacher has a well-guarded secret...

FILIUS FLITWICK (Charms teacher, Head of Ravenclaw House and Deputy-Headmaster of Hogwarts) - Terrible suspicions seem to torment the friendly teacher. Are they justified? And is he as friendly as he seems to be?

RUBEUS HAGRID (Care of Magical Creatures teacher) - Could his loose tongue become a weapon for ill-intentioned people?

ROLANDA HOOCH (Quidditch teacher) - A passion for Quidditch brought her and the Headmistress together. Or could there be something else at play here?

REMUS LUPIN (Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and Head of Gryffindor House) - Back at Hogwarts with his spouse, Lupin seems to be the same "good fellow" as always. Or is he hiding something?

MINERVA MCGONAGALL (Transfiguration teacher and Headmistress) - In her first year as Headmistress, McGonagall didn't expect the task to be easy. But neither did she expect to be charged with a crime.

AURORA SINISTRA (Astronomy teacher) - Could the Slytherin teacher's mysterious contacts have any connection with the crime in question? And is she aware of everything that happens in the Astronomy Tower?

HORACE SLUGHORN (Potions master) - The retired Potions master was specially invited by the Headmistress to come back to Hogwarts just for a year to teach the seventh years. However, Slughorn seems more concerned about his social connections than about what happens in his classroom.

SEVERUS SNAPE (Potions master and Head of Slytherin House) - Former-Death Eater, Snape would be the main suspect in the crime, if he wasn't considered a war hero in the Wizarding World. Who is Snape, after all? A hero or a traitor?

POMONA SPROUT (Herbology teacher and Head of Hufflepuff House) - Sprout tends to keep a distance from political disputes, apparently accepting the minor role assigned to her House. Or is this just a facade?

SYBILL TRELAWNEY (Divination teacher) - Her latest prophecy seems to have come true. Is she a fraud or not?

SEPTIMA VECTOR (Arithmancy teacher) - Vector strongly disagrees with some of the new Headmistress's decisions. Could this disagreement lead to... crime?

HILDR WYRD (Ancient Runes teacher) - Wyrd seems to know many of her colleagues' secrets. Is she hiding a secret too?

**Spouses**

SIRIUS BLACK - In spite of his reckless appearance, Sirius Black is a powerful wizard. It is said that he has too much free time. He denies it: after all, he's writing the story of Harry Potter, and this isn't an easy task.

HARRY POTTER - Being the greatest hero of the Wizarding World makes Harry eligible for certain privileges. Will the Wizarding World finally realise the dangers of conferring wide-ranging powers on a teenager?!

**Students**

LAVENDER BROWN (Gryffindor) - Sybill Trelawney's admirer, Lavender was present when the new prophecy was made.

DRACO MALFOY (Slytherin) - Snape's protegé and informant.

PARVATI PATIL (Gryffindor) - She was with her friend, Lavender, when Trelawney made the new prophecy.

**Investigation Committee from the Ministry of Magic**

NEIL NULLIGAN (Head of the Committee) - An experienced Auror, Nulligan is confronted by phenomena for which he can't find a logical explanation. Will he be able to solve the case?

TADG FORTESCUE - Brand new to the Ministry, Auror Fortescue finds himself in the middle of a complicated case. But unlike his Head, he has theories!

sSsSs

**Theft of the Hallow**

**Prologue**

The Divination class was over, and the seventh year students were leaving the classroom when Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil saw Professor Trelawney standing up. The Professor's body swayed and her eyes rolled back as she said, in a loud, harsh voice, very different from her habitual tone:

"The ancient hallow will be stolen... If the perpetrator of the vile act is not arrested, darkness will descend upon the whole world."

Professor Trelawney's head fell forward and hung loosely. Parvati and Lavender exchanged a concerned look. Then the Professor grunted and her head snapped up again. She looked stunned. "Is there anything wrong, my dears?" she asked.

"You... I think you made another prophecy," said Lavender.

"My dear girls, what leads you to think the Inner Eye has manifested itself?"

"Your voice sounded different. You said that... that a hallow will be stolen," said Parvati.

"Really? What else did I say?"

"That if the perpetrator isn't... " Lavender tried to remember the words, but failed.

"That if the perpetrator is not arrested, darkness will descend on the world," Parvati finished.

"This is very serious, indeed!" Professor Trelawney observed, thoughtfully. "The Inner Eye's warnings must not be dismissed."

"Maybe you should talk to the Headmistress?" suggested Lavender.

"Oh... The Headmistress has no respect for the Inner Eye. Perhaps if you tell her yourselves?"

"If you think it's best," replied Lavender, helpfully.

sSsSs

**Part I**

Soon everyone in the castle was talking about Sybill Trelawney's new prophecy, and the weirdest speculations were made both by staff and students. Minerva knew she would have to call a staff meeting to discuss the problem, but first she wanted to talk, not with her Deputy Headmaster, who was her good old friend Filius, but with Severus Snape — who she would have chosen as her Deputy Headmaster, if his marriage with Harry hadn't prevented him from assuming a position that would give him authority over his young spouse.

Minerva welcomed Severus in her office and invited him to sit down.

"Severus, what do you think of Sybill's new prophecy?"

"You know my opinion on Sybill and her gifts..."

"Yes. We've always been of the same opinion with regard to this and many other subjects. Anyway, the situation is a delicate one." Minerva sighed. "Don't forget that two of Sybill's prophecies turned out to be genuine."

"That is controversial. Albus used to say that the prophecy regarding the Dark Lord was fulfilled just because Voldemort believed it," argued Severus.

"At any rate, I'm responsible for the well-being and safety of Hogwarts' students, staff and property. I can't simply disregard a prophecy about a theft. If the theft occurs, I will be crucified," said Minerva, annoyed. "Everybody's saying the Grail will be stolen. You know the symbolic importance of the Grail for all of us..."

"You're right. If the Grail falls into the hands of a Dark Wizard or Witch, he or she may use it to gain followers. We have already gone through this and we know what tragic consequences may ensue! I suggest that we strengthen the protections around the Chamber of Secrets and the Grail Room (1)," said Severus, thoughtful.

"All right. That will be done," said Minerva.

"Might I suggest blocking the Room of Requirement as well? We won't feel safe if we don't block the access to that Room. Nearly all of the students are aware of its existence, and the place is becoming a source of disturbance. We should also block the six not-so-secret passages to Hogsmeade that haven't been blocked yet. As for the rest, we should continue to do what we have always done: keep our eyes open and be watchful."

"Perfect. I'll think about other measures to strengthen the security of the castle, especially at night. Can I count on your cooperation, and Harry's, to guard the Chamber of Secrets?"

"You can surely count on my cooperation. As for Harry's, I don't think we should burden him. He has to study for his NEWTs."

"Oh, I don't want to overburden him, Severus, but... he's the only one who can enter the place."

"I'll have a talk with him."

sSsSs

A week later, after breakfast in the Great Hall, Minerva entered her office and walked to her desk to start another day of work. Soon she realised this wouldn't be a normal day, though: the sword of Gryffindor, which used to be in a glass case on a shelf behind her desk, had disappeared.

She looked up at the portraits. "Albus? Dippet? Phineas? Fortescue? Everard? Did you see who took Gryffindor's sword from this room?"

The portraits stared at her with a sleepy and stunned look.

"Minerva," said Albus Dumbledore's portrait, "I'm afraid I can't help you; I haven't seen anything. But don't worry: I'm sure everything will be solved in the best possible way."

She would have to suspend classes and call a staff meeting immediately. After all, only the professors had the password to her office.

sSsSs

The thirteen Hogwarts professors and Minerva were gathered in the Staff Room.

"Ladies and gentlemen," began Minerva, "something very grave has happened. The sword of Gryffindor has been stolen from the Head's office."

A murmur of surprise rose in the room.

"I don' believe this," said Hagrid, shaking his great shaggy head. "Jus' don' believe it. The sword o' Gryffindor. Who'd want ter steal it?"

Then everyone started talking at the same time — except for Binns, who glanced around with a scowl, as if he were the only sane person in a room full of lunatics.

"Please, let's keep this civil," said Minerva. "I called you here because you are the only ones who know — or the only ones who should have known — the password to the Head's office. If any of you have any information that might be relevant to this problem, please raise your hand." Minerva winced when she saw Sybill raising her hand, but there wasn't anything she could do to prevent her from speaking. "Professor Trelawney?"

"The prophecy has been fulfilled! Not everyone here believed it, and the necessary steps to prevent this Fate from happening weren't taken," declared Trelawney.

"If it was Fate," countered Severus, arching up an eyebrow, "I can't see how could we have prevented it. We made a mistake: we thought the prophecy referred to another hallow inside this castle, and we tightened our defences around it. We didn't leave the rest of the castle unprotected, though. What happened here was a breach of trust. The Headmistress trusted everyone who's in this room. Yet, someone betrayed this trust."

"That's precious coming from you, Snape," snapped Vector. "How can you talk about betrayal when many of us still don't know which side you were on in the last two wars?"

"Very true, but Snape is not the only one in this room with a murky past," observed Wyrd, looking at Sinistra, then at Slughorn, Remus and finally Fence.

Rolanda nudged Pomona's elbow and whispered something in her ear. Fence seemed uneasy.

"Let's not lose focus," said Remus. "This is not the time for this kind of debate."

Minerva took the word again. "I haven't called you here to discuss our disagreements and debate our personal grudges. What it matters now is whether you have seen or heard anything that may lead us to the sword of Gryffindor or to the culprit of this theft."

Silence reigned until Vector raised her hand.

"Professor Vector?" said Minerva.

"I don't know anything about this theft. But I consider that a very grave occurrence. In my opinion, the Ministry of Magic should be immediately informed about it."

"I sincerely expect we can solve the problem among ourselves," replied Minerva. "I will suspend classes today. As we have already been doing since last week, only with my permission may people leave or enter the castle, send owls or use the Floo Network for external contacts."

"Oh, what a shame!" exclaimed Slughorn. "I was going to receive a visit by the charming Melinda Bobbin tonight. I don't know whether you know her? Her family owns a large chain of apothecaries..."

Pomona stuck out her chin. "A bunch of vultures, that's what they are. Do you know how much the bloody profiteers charge for a bobotuber? It's daylight robbery!"

"Professor Sprout, Professor Slughorn, I'm sorry, but we must focus on the problem at hand," said Minerva. "Every Head of House will conduct the investigations in a different House. Professor Snape will investigate the Gryffindor House; Professor Lupin will investigate Slytherin; Professor Flitwick, Hufflepuff; and Professor Sprout, Ravenclaw. If that method fails, and if by the end of the day we have not found either the sword or the perpetrator of the theft, I will inform the Ministry."

sSsSs

Minerva saw her plans crumble a few minutes later, when Scrimgeour called her through the Floo Network.

"Headmistress, we were informed that the sword of Gryffindor has been stolen. This is a very grave incident. We will be sending an Investigation Committee immediately to Hogwarts."

Minerva could feel blood boiling in her veins. Someone had spilt the beans. Another betrayal. And now the Minister didn't even ask her permission, he merely communicated his decision to her, as if Hogwarts had to submit to his decisions. "Rufus, I don't think it's necessary to involve the Ministry. It's up to the Hogwarts' administration to solve such problems, and we can very well do that without the Ministry's intervention."

"Unfortunately, we will have to intervene. We have received worrisome information, which has to be promptly investigated."

"What information is that? And what is the source of it?" asked Minerva.

"I'm sorry, Minerva, but this is classified information, and I cannot disclose it."

Minerva sighed. That was an arbitrary action. But what could she do? Confront the Ministry? Perhaps it would be wiser not to antagonise them now. When the Committee arrived, she would try to get more information.

sSsSs

The Investigation Committee was composed of four Aurors, led by Mr Neil Nulligan. Minerva received them with cold politeness and showed them the place where the sword used to be, in her office.

"Hey, you!" Nulligan briskly addressed the portraits. "Were any of you awake when the crime took place?"

"Er... " said one of the portraits in the top right corner of the back wall. "I was."

Minerva frowned. Skocpol wasn't very talkative, but had never caused her trouble. Why hadn't he told her he had seen the culprit?

"Very well," said Nulligan. "And did you see who stole the sword?"

"I did."

"Why, Skocpol... Why didn't you tell me when I asked you? Who was it?" asked Minerva.

An eerie silence hung over the office as the four Aurors and Minerva waited for the skinny, grey-haired old man to reply, "It was... It was you, Headmistress McGonagall!"

"That's not possible!" exclaimed Minerva.

Nulligan narrowed his eyes at her, and then turned to the portrait again. "Describe her actions."

"She entered the office, in the middle of the night. She walked to the glass case containing the sword, lifted it, put it under her arm and left carrying the case. That's all I saw."

"Nonsense," said Minerva. "I don't know what's happening here. I just know I didn't steal the sword of Gryffindor."

"Are you sure it was the Headmistress you saw?" asked Nulligan.

"Why, yes!" answered Skocpol. "I see her every day! It was her."

sSsSs

Classes were restarted, for Nulligan thought it would be better to keep the students occupied as the investigations proceeded. Because the Aurors had to search everyone who left the castle for the outdoor classes, Nulligan asked the Ministry to send two more Aurors to strengthen the surveillance. Minerva was dislodged from her office and residence and had to move back to her old office, which was still vacant on the first floor. The place was thoroughly searched by the Investigation Committee before Minerva was allowed to move into it.

The Investigation Committee comfortably installed itself in the castle — each of its members occupied a private room and an office to perform their work. Moreover, now they were the ones in charge of Hogwarts' communication and protection systems, including the different passwords used inside the castle.

The castle was exhaustively searched for the sword or clues that might lead to the thief. At the end of the first day of investigations, from what Minerva could see, nothing significant had been found. It was a great mystery. Since she had been informed of Trelawney's new prophecy, Minerva had given strict orders that all the brooms in the castle should be kept inside the broom cupboard at night. Every night, Minerva would count the brooms and cast a locking spell on the cupboard. The morning after the theft, all the brooms were inside the cupboard when she had unlocked it. The castle doors were locked by Minerva, too, and by the morning she removed the spell. As for the seven not-so-secret passages to Hogsmeade and the Room of Requirement, they had all been blocked.

Therefore, either the sword was still inside the castle, or the thief had left the castle through a _really_ secret passage, or by unknown means.

In fact, when it was said that the _whole_ castle had been searched by the Ministry Committee, that wasn't accurate. The Chamber of Secrets was inaccessible to them. The Committee had to entrust Harry Potter with the task of searching the Chamber. Harry told them he had inspected every square inch of it, including the Grail Room. According to Harry, everything was in perfect order, and there was no sign of the sword of Gryffindor.

Besides the Chamber of Secrets, there was another place inside the castle that hadn't been searched: the chest of the new Muggle Studies professor, Jonathan Fence. That chest was already famous among the staff and students, because Fence refused to open it. He claimed there was a magic object inside it — an object that granted him special powers, but that, if removed from the chest, could kill everyone in a three mile-radius. Fence didn't let anyone get near the chest, and decided not to leave his quarters in order to watch over it night and day. Fence's behaviour irritated Nulligan, because it hindered his investigations, but the Ministry couldn't take the risk of provoking a catastrophe in Hogwarts. The solution was to keep the teacher under the vigilance of an Auror.

When Minerva was interrogated by the Investigation Committee, she had to run through every detail of her memories. At night, in her private quarters, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep, she decided to do the same thing again. She took a parchment and a quill from her desk and started to list the suspects and their possible motives, remembering what she had seen and heard the day before.

As far as she knew, only the teachers had the password to the Head's office. And the office itself wouldn't let an intruder in — it had a special seal that prevented that possibility. That fact limited the suspects to the teachers and those to whom they might have revealed the password. Not all the teachers were suspects, though. Hagrid didn't sleep in the castle, and Minerva had seen him and Olympe walking to their hut when Minerva closed the castle front door, at night. Afterwards, Minerva had passed through her office, and the sword was surely in its place. Another teacher who wouldn't have been able to steal the sword was Binns, because he was a ghost. Minerva methodically listed the suspects in alphabetical order, by surname. For the sake of completeness, she included her own name, even knowing she wasn't the culprit.

_Jonathan Fence  
Filius Flitwick  
Rolanda Hooch  
Remus Lupin  
Minerva McGonagall  
Aurora Sinistra  
Horace Slughorn  
Severus Snape  
Pomona Sprout  
Sybill Trelawney  
Septima Vector  
Hildr Wyrd_

Most Hogwarts teachers weren't married, or their spouses didn't live in the castle, but there were two spouses who did live in the castle and to whom she had entrusted the password:

_Sirius Black  
Harry Potter_

Minerva sighed. The inclusion of Harry Potter in the list of suspects made the case even more explosive. The newspapers loved to print sensational stories about the Boy-Who-Lived. One more reason for her to try and remember everything that might help to elucidate that mystery.

What most baffled Minerva was the portrait's claim that she was the perpetrator of the theft. That was preposterous. Obviously, someone had impersonated her. It couldn't have been a mere Transfiguration. A good Transfigurer could reproduce some traits (nose, chin, hair), but not the entire body of a person. Skocpol might not be very attentive, but even so, to Minerva's knowledge there wasn't any extraordinary Transfigurer among the suspects — with the possible exception of Sirius Black. A Metamorphmagus could have done it, but Tonks was the only Metamorphmagus she knew. Even if Tonks were the culprit, she would have to have an accomplice inside the castle — one of the teachers would have had to have told her the password. It was quite a fantastic supposition.

The most probable hypothesis was that someone had used Polyjuice Potion to impersonate her. In this case, the Potions masters, Severus and Slughorn, were the most likely suspects. Severus and Slughorn worked independently — each one had his own classroom; Minerva would have to talk to them separately. However, all the suspects probably knew how to prepare the Polyjuice Potion, if they had access to the ingredients. Obtaining one of her hairs or other personal item wouldn't have been difficult, too: she was always in touch with her staff and often received them in her office.

Minerva tried to remember the conversations she had had with each of the suspects the day before, paying attention to any strange detail that might have escaped her notice previously.

She had spent a long time talking to Rolanda in her office, but that wasn't strange at all — the two of them were friends and fans of Quidditch.

Vector had come to her office to ask her for permission and sponsorship to participate in the MMXI International Arithmancy Conference in Ukraine. Minerva had denied the permission, because the Conference would take place in the middle of the term, and Hogwarts didn't have a substitute teacher for that subject. The students couldn't lose their classes! The Arithmantics should schedule their conferences at times that didn't interfere with the routine of the schools! Vector hadn't liked her decision and had clearly expressed her anger. She was quite a strange witch, but stealing the Gryffindor sword was too drastic a move, even for her.

Severus and Remus (along with Sirius) had been spending their free time taking turns to guard the Grail. Minerva had no complaints on their performance: the Grail, according to Harry, remained where it should be — which was a great irony, considering they had thought it was the Grail that was under threat. Minerva couldn't remember anything strange about Severus's, Remus's, Harry's or Sirius's behaviour. However, a good detective wouldn't automatically remove them from the list of suspects.

Slughorn had given a party in his quarters. Minerva had made a brief appearance at the party to taste the wine — Slughorn served the best wines! Minerva had barely arrived when Sybill, as drunk as a boiled owl, had stumbled on her and drawled something about a meteor that she had seen in her crystal ball. A bad omen, of course. Minerva was seriously thinking of checking Sybill into the Alcoholic Rehabilitation Center of St Mungo for some time: she was becoming inconvenient. As if Sybill weren't enough of a nuisance, Sinistra had pestered her too, repeating her request for new telescopes for the Astronomy classes. Minerva had promised to consider the matter — as she always did. But none of those events represented a disruption of routine: Slughorn always held parties, Sybill was always drunk and foreseeing disasters, and Sinistra was always making impossible requests.

Besides the theft of the sword, there was another mystery haunting Minerva: who had informed the Ministry and, even more puzzling, _how_? The communications had been totally blocked in Hogwarts as soon as Minerva had known about the theft: the Floo Network was deactivated for external communications, and Filch was watching the owlery to prevent any owl from being sent without the Headmistress' permission.

Minerva was tired and couldn't remember any other peculiar details about the suspects. Deciding that her efforts were useless, she grabbed a book to read in bed.

sSsSs

As the Ministry couldn't arrest Minerva based just on a portrait's testimony, the Committee let Minerva reassume her duties as the Headmistress. However, because the Head's office was under strict vigilance and no one besides the Aurors was allowed into it, she had to remain in her old office, with no access to the school's files.

The investigations proceeded; all members of the staff were interrogated, kept under vigilance and had their lives scrutinised.

In the afternoon of the second day after the theft of the sword, Severus entered Minerva's office without asking for permission. She didn't scold him, because she understood he had wanted to take advantage of a moment when she wasn't being watched.

Severus closed the door and approached the desk where Minerva was sitting. "Harry told me Slughorn prepared the Polyjuice Potion in class a week ago. Slughorn told the students that, although that potion had already been taught in the sixth year, it was necessary to revise it, because this potion is one of the favourite NEWT topics. Slughorn left a cauldron full of Polyjuice Potion in his Potions class, without any protection, for the whole week. Anyone could have filled a bottle with it and added the personal item later."

"Severus, have you been running a personal investigation of the case? I'd rather not have you involved in this."

He cast her a piercing look, as if telling her he wouldn't let her down. "I have to go. I'll let you know if I find anything," he said, pivoting on his heel, his cape swirling behind him as he left the office.

Minerva couldn't help smiling. Severus was a loyal friend.

sSsSs

The fourth day was marked by some intriguing news: in spite of the fact that the place was being constantly and closely watched, a water lily had appeared in the Head's office the night before. The beautiful flower kept hovering still in the air, near the place where the sword of Gryffindor used to be. The members of the Investigation Committee had tried to remove it from there, but they didn't succeed. It seemed that a Permanent Fixed-Positioning Charm had been cast on it. The Auror on duty had been so scared that he had asked to be released from his position. None of those events had been reported by the Committee; yet, everyone in the castle was discussing them in detail. The rumours seemed credible, from what Minerva observed, because the Ministry had indeed replaced the Auror with two others.

sSsSs

On the fifth day, a new rumour spread through the castle: notwithstanding the enhanced surveillance, a medieval helmet had appeared in the Head's office, beside the water lily. No one could remove it from there.

Minerva went to the Armour Gallery, on the third floor, and noticed the absence of a helmet. She notified Nulligan, who admitted the appearances of the water lily and the helmet. Nulligan was extremely aggravated; according to him, everyone was talking about those appearances, when the members of the Committee, who were the only ones who had witnessed the events, hadn't mentioned them to anyone.

Another rumour that circulated in the castle that day was that Sinistra's father had been one of Grindelwald's supporters, and that she might be associated with Dark Arts groups. Minerva was caught by surprise, but she reflected that Albus probably knew that when he had hired her for the position. If Minerva could enter the Head's office, she would ask Albus's portrait about that. Since she couldn't, she just mentally took note of the new information. An association with Dark Arts groups wasn't enough to explain the events. No one could explain, for instance, the appearance of those objects in the Head's office. Minerva didn't like the sound of that. In fact, she knew someone who could enter the Head's office at any time. But it was a person she didn't want to suspect.

sSsSs

On the sixth day, Saturday, the rumour that ran through the castle was that a plume had joined the helmet in the Head's office. The mysterious appearances were the only topic of discussion in the castle corridors.

In the afternoon, Filius knocked on Minerva's office door. She invited him in. He stood on his feet, and she didn't ask him to sit down: he was too short, and if he sat down, she wouldn't be able to see him with the desk between them!

"You look worried," said Minerva, encouraging him to talk.

"I was wondering... The fellows of the Investigation Committee changed the password of the Head's office and didn't tell it to any of us. How can those objects appear inside it?"

"That's what everyone is wondering. Have you got a theory?"

"Well... You know very well that, under certain circumstances, it's possible to become invisible..."

"Oh, Filius, I've never mastered such a skill! Albus had this gift, but I don't know anyone else who can do it."

"A wizard or a witch in possession of an Invisibility Cloak could eavesdrop on the password and use it later to break into the Head's office."

Minerva frowned. "The only wizard we know that possesses one... is above suspicion, isn't he?"

Filius sighed. "I suppose you're right. Forgive me for bothering you with my useless conjectures."

"Oh, don't be disheartened. We're all anxious. Let's go to the kitchen and see if they can make us a cherry syrup and soda!"

Filius flashed a hopeful smile. "With ice and an umbrella?"

sSsSs

On Sunday, the seventh day since the theft, even the house-elves were talking about the beautiful tapestry, depicting a lake with a boat on its shore, surrounded by willows. The tapestry had been hung on one of the walls of the Head's office. Rumours were Nulligan himself was guarding the office when the tapestry had appeared, but he hadn't been able to catch the criminal.

A meticulous search of the castle conducted by the Investigation Committee and witnessed by Minerva revealed that the infamous tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls in tutus to dance had disappeared from its usual position, on the seventh floor. Caught between amusement and bemusement, Minerva had to hold back laughter.

Nulligan didn't show the same energy and arrogance of the first few days, and could be heard grumbling in the corners, "What can this mean? Could it be a terrorist act by an anti-troll group? Or perhaps a group prejudiced against ballet dancers?"

Professor Fence still adamantly refused to release his chest; at night, he put it under his bed. Minerva had entrusted a house-elf with the task of taking his meals to his chambers, and had divided his classes between all the other teachers with some knowledge of the Muggle world.

In the evening, Minerva knocked on the door of Nulligan's office, and was received by one of his assistants — a red-nosed, corpulent and cheerful man called Tadg Fortescue.

"Good evening, gentlemen," said Minerva, approaching Nulligan's desk. "You have been in Hogwarts for seven days now. Have you made any progress?"

Nulligan let out an audible sigh. "It's a rather intricate case. I was just commenting to Mr Fortescue... Mind you, it's not just the sword. We've got a water lily, a helmet, a plume, a tapestry... Unless someone's trying to play a trick on us, I can't see how to put all of these elements together."

"And I was respectfully disagreeing," said Tadg Fortescue, a lively gleam in his dark eyes.

"Really, Mr Fortescue? Do you have a theory?" asked Minerva.

"Oh, yes. Those elements have something in common. A water lily is usually on the water's surface, right?"

"Right," said Minerva.

"Likewise, a helmet is usually on a head; a plume is on a bird, and a tapestry is on a wall," stated Fortescue, triumphantly. "Am I right?"

"Indeed," said Minerva, not knowing what to think.

Nulligan seemed to be losing his patience. "Tadg, go straight to the point."

"Water, head, bird and wall. The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is a sink with a snake scratched onto the tap. Why, it seems obvious that the sword of Gryffindor is hidden in a sink with a bird head tap fixed on a wall."

Minerva struggled not to laugh. "Quite ingenious, Mr Fortescue, quite ingenious... But why would the criminal give us clues to the sword's location?"

"Oh, if you knew how many criminals like to challenge the Aurors with riddles!" exclaimed Fortescue. "You wouldn't believe it!"

"Fortescue definitely has a point in this regard, Headmistress. There are many criminals who like to provoke and challenge the Aurors. They are so obsessive about it that they end up being caught."

Minerva was tired. "Gentlemen, so far you haven't given me any explanation for your presence at Hogwarts. When you arrived, there were four of you; now there are seven. Yet, I can see no practical results from your investigations. My staff and my students are tired of being interrogated and searched. If this case is not solved by tomorrow evening, I'll complain to the Minister and demand your immediate removal of your Committee from Hogwarts."

sSsSs

In the night from Sunday to Monday, Minerva was awakened by a horrible noise. It was like a thunderbolt piercing her soul. First she thought it had been a nightmare, but then she felt her bedroom walls still shaking from the sound. She got up immediately and, still in her nightgown, opened the door.

Remus was approaching her quarters, coming down the corridor. "Please come with me, Minerva. We're gathering the staff in the Head's office. Severus has something very important to say."

"Wait a minute."

Minerva put on a cloak over her nightgown and followed Remus, both annoyed and intrigued.

sSsSs

When they arrived in front of the gargoyle, on the seventh floor, Fence, Filius, Harry, Rolanda, Sirius, Sybill, Vector and Wyrd, were already there, and Severus was arriving with Pomona, Sinistra and Slughorn.

"Headmistress," said Severus, looking excited, his hair falling down over his face, "please follow me. I will explain everything when we enter your office."

"But... we don't know the new password!" replied Minerva.

Severus stood before the gargoyle and said:

"Rhombus."

The gargoyle moved aside, and all the teachers stepped inside and onto the spiraling staircase.

The fact that Severus knew the password left Minerva even more concerned.

TBC...

Note:  
(1)After the final battle, in "Baphomet II", the Grail was returned to Slytherin's altar, in the Chamber of Secrets, which was renamed as "The Grail Room".


	2. Chapter 2

**Part II**

**I - "Who is this? and what is here?" (1)**

The theft of Gryffindor's sword left Severus worried. After all, for a long time Tom Riddle had coveted that sword to make a Horcrux from it. If the sword had been stolen by another Dark Wizard planning to use its symbolism to gather followers, that might be like a rerun of the nightmare they all had hoped to have left behind. If that wasn't enough, the theft was also demoralising to Hogwarts and to the Order of the Phoenix supporters, and the Ministry had taken advantage of the circumstances to interfere at Hogwarts again. Severus had no doubt that they had done it on purpose, to boast of their authority. The Ministry feared that the Heads of Hogwarts could constitute a significant power in the Wizarding World. The Ministry's nerve in blaming Minerva irritated Severus to no end.

In the first two days that followed the theft, Severus conducted a personal investigation. He talked to Harry, the Slytherin students and most of the teachers to try and obtain a general picture of the case.

He was sure that someone had used Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Minerva. The fact that Slughorn had decided to prepare the potion for the seventh-years seemed suspect, as did his recklessness in leaving a cauldron full of the potion in the classroom for many days. However, the long time required to brew the potion, and the need to explain the details of its composition could justify his actions. Besides, no one could deny that the Polyjuice Potion was one of the topics most likely to appear on the NEWT exam.

In the afternoon of the second day of investigations, having finished his last class of the day, Severus returned to his quarters and had a long bath to relax. Harry still had one class to attend and would arrive in about an hour. After the bath, Severus went to his office to feed Ceci. It was usually Harry who took care of the boa constrictor, since both could talk in Parseltongue, but Severus liked Ceci's company, and feeding her was a good excuse to be with her.

Severus sat on the sofa while Ceci ate her food. A movement in his scrying mirror (2) attracted his attention. Severus stood up and approached the mirror to get a better view.

A witch who Severus recognised as Minerva, dressed in black, was floating on something that looked like a flying carpet, coming from the Hogwarts castle and going down towards the lake. When the image got clearer, Severus could see that it wasn't a carpet, but a tapestry. The tapestry landed by the lake. Then Severus could see that the tapestry depicted the Lady of Shalott weaving on her loom, and that the witch carried a glass case containing a sword under her arm. The fake Minerva approached a boat, placed the box on its bottom and stepped into it. It was an enchanted boat; as soon as she entered it, it slid across the smooth surface of the waters. The image became cloudy and unfocused, and soon the surface of the mirror was empty again.

Severus paced his office. He considered leaving a note for Harry, but decided it wasn't necessary, since he wouldn't be away for too long. He left his office, climbed the staircase and walked towards the front door of the castle. An Auror who was watching over the entrance asked where he was going. He said he was going to take a walk by the lake and watch the birds. The Auror insisted on searching him. Severus had to fight himself not to cast an Unforgivable on the dunderhead. As soon as the Auror let go of him, Severus strode off down the lawn towards the lake. He saw a boat near the rocky shore, as he had seen in the mirror. He got closer to it. The boat was empty. Severus sat on a rock and gazed at the lake, feeling frustrated.

"Severus? What is it?"

Harry had followed him to the shore. Just by looking at him Severus realised that, when his class had finished, Harry had found out Severus's location through the bond that united them. Harry's presence made Severus feel better. The fact that he couldn't keep any secrets from Harry, which at first had seemed a frightening burden, had proved to be a blessing. This way, Severus always had someone with whom to share his deepest feelings, and never felt alone.

As they walked by the lake, under the watchful eyes of a nearby Auror, Severus told Harry what he had seen in the scrying mirror. Harry could read his feelings and, to a certain point, his thoughts, but when they expressed their thoughts in words, they could discuss them more easily.

"Do you think the mirror showed what really happened?"

"As you know well, at first I didn't believe in this mirror's power. However, I have to acknowledge that everything the mirror showed so far has had a real basis."

Harry looked thoughtful. "It's true. But you don't think it was really McGonagall, do you?"

"Of course not. It was someone using Polyjuice Potion."

"Severus, why don't we go to your office, call Remus and Sirius, and tell them? Four heads think better than two!"

Severus would like to have been more certain of the meaning of what he had seen before sharing his news with Harry's lunatic godfather. But he knew Harry wouldn't stop pestering him until Severus called Black and Lupin and told them everything. Once Harry used to share everything with Ron and Hermione; now his new adventures were shared by Severus, Remus and Sirius — a weird quartet formed in the most unlikely of ways.

"All right." Severus scowled at Harry. "But this will have to remain between the four of us. You will promise me that you will not tell anyone else."

"Hmph. You mean I can't tell Ron and Hermione."

"Exactly."

"Right," grumbled Harry.

sSsSs

With Black and Lupin sitting on Severus's office sofa and Harry in a separate armchair, Severus told them what he had seen in his mirror.

Lupin listened attentively. Black was playing with Ceci, who liked to wind herself around his arms and neck. Much to Severus's displeasure, Ceci seemed to have a crush on Black.

"Your mirror could very well have shown the rest of the story too," complained Black, when Severus finished his report.

"_Four gray walls, and four gray towers..._ " recited Lupin, remembering the lines of Tennyson's famous poem, The Lady of Shalott. "Do any of you remember if there is a Lady of Shalott tapestry in Hogwarts?"

None of them remembered such a tapestry.

"There're tons of tapestries at Hogwarts," complained Harry.

"I will search the castle for our Lady of the Shalott tapestry," said Severus. "In spite of my conviction that finding it will not be of any help."

"There's something I don't understand," said Lupin. "Why did the thief swap the tapestry for a boat?"

"It may be difficult to maneuver a tapestry. As flying carpets were banned by the Ministry, we British wizards and witches don't know how to fly a carpet," commented Sirius. "It is one thing to float down from the castle to the ground on a tapestry, but quite another to maneuver a tapestry through the trees, for example."

"Is it forbidden to enchant a tapestry to fly, too?" asked Harry.

No one seemed to know.

"Those Ministry rules are ridiculous. They say flying carpets were banned because someone included carpets in the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects. I don't believe it. There must be some political or economical interest behind that," said Sirius, shaking his head.

"About our Lady of Shalott," said Lupin. "Where do you think she went with the boat? Could she have gone to Hogwarts gates and handed the sword over to an accomplice? Or did she leave Hogwarts?"

"She couldn't have left Hogwarts, since there is no one missing in Hogwarts," reasoned Severus. "Both the scenarios you have described are highly improbable. The gates were locked and there were protections all around the castle. I won't go as far as saying you cannot pass anything through the gates without triggering the protections. I can assure you, however, that Filius, Minerva and I designed those protections to make it as inviolable as possible."

"I don't know about you," said Lupin, "but I believe the evidence is insufficient to arrive at a conclusion. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't _do_ something, you know."

"What exactly do you suggest, Lupin?" said Severus impatiently.

"I'll tell you, if you call me 'Remus'."

Severus rolled his eyes. "As you wish, _Remus_," said Severus in a silky voice. "How can we _do_ something if we don't know who the culprit is?"

"See, if what you told us is true... and I believe it is... we know details about the way the culprit acted. And the culprit doesn't know that we know," declared Lupin, as if that explained anything.

Severus frowned. "That could be very useful if we wanted to blackmail the culprit, but I can't see how..."

Black interrupted him. "Ah! Now I'm beginning to understand."

"Good for you," said Harry, "because I'm still lost."

"I'm just speculating, friends," said Remus. "I don't have any concrete plan in mind. I'm just remarking that we've got this advantage over our opponent."

"As far as we know, this person acted alone, at least inside the Hogwarts grounds. The images were not sufficiently clear, but from what I could see, that person didn't seem to be as controlled as Minerva. Her (or his) gestures were nervous. We could try to intimidate her... or him," suggested Severus.

"Yes!" said Black. "You can be very intimidating when you want to, Sevvie."

Severus hated that nickname, and glared at Black.

"About the intimidation," said Harry, clearly trying to prevent the aggravation of the animosity, "have you got any specific idea?"

"We know that the thief used the Lady of Shalott tapestry. Tennyson's poem is well known in the Wizarding World. We could use it to evoke certain images... " suggested Black.

The world seemed to brighten before Severus. "'She left the web, she left the loom/ She made three paces thro' the room/ She saw the water-lily bloom/ She saw the helmet and the plume/ She look'd down to Camelot. / Out flew the web and floated wide; / The mirror crack'd from side to side; / 'The curse is come upon me!' cried / The Lady of Shalott'" recited Severus.

"Oh, Severus, if you're thinking what I think you are, you're a genius," exclaimed Black.

And the quartet started to discuss an intricate plan that would keep them occupied for the next five days at least...

sSsSs

**II - Water Lily**

A complicating factor was that no one was allowed to leave Hogwarts, which meant that all the items would have to be picked up inside the castle and immediate surroundings. Severus had told them he would need at least four days to finish the mirror — which would be the climax of the drama. It was only natural, then, that they opted for a play in five acts: one act per day.

They were gathered in Severus's office; Remus and Sirius had come through the internal Floo Network (which remained activated).

"Did you search the castle for the Lady of Shalott tapestry, Severus?" asked Sirius.

"Yes, I did, and no, I didn't find it," answered Severus. "Let's proceed with the plan."

"Something is worrying me," said Remus. "What if they try and conceal the news about our object 'apparitions'? The Committee has no interest in divulging what happens inside the Head's office."

"Well," said Harry, "if they try and conceal it, we ourselves can let it leak. Subtly, of course."

"How Slytherin of you," said Severus, proudly.

"Clever boy," said Sirius. "We just have to let it slip to Hagrid."

"It will be safer if each of us let the secret slip to at least one person, 'being' or 'creature' every time," suggested Remus. "Hagrid's not the only one with a lose tongue here. We've got Peeves, the ghosts and the portraits, too. Harry could be the one in charge of _carefully_ spreading the news among the students. If we all go around saying that 'everybody's saying that such and such happened', we will make it come true."

"In order to prevent them from removing our objects from the Head's office, we can cast a Permanent Freezing Charm on each object," suggested Sirius.

"That's a wonderful idea, Padfoot," said Remus.

Sirius produced from his pocket a beautiful water lily he had "fished" from the lake when the Auror who was watching him had got distracted. He tenderly placed it on Remus's head. "You're exquisite as Nefertum," said Sirius, gazing passionately at Remus.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Let's do what we must."

Remus kissed Sirius, and then looked at Harry, who put the Invisibility Cloak over him. Severus stretched out his hand containing the ptyx (3) and placed it into Remus's hand.

sSsSs

In a blink of an eye, Remus was in the Head's office. A tall, strong Auror was standing near the desk. Remus knew he had to be careful. He counted on the surprise element and the ptyx, which was in his pocket now. He cast a non-verbal Levitation spell followed by a non-verbal Permanent Freezing Charm on the water lily. Remus didn't even see the reaction of the Auror behind him. He just heard a murmur of surprise as he put his hand into his pocket and grabbed the ptyx to return to Severus's office.

sSsSs

**III - Helmet**

On the fourth day after the theft, a few minutes before midnight, Harry donned his Invisibility Cloak, left the chambers he shared with Severus and climbed the staircase straight to the Armour Gallery, on the third floor.

Harry looked for a medieval-style suit of armour. Perhaps his stereotypical gay side was taking over, he thought, not without some concern, but then he shrugged and attributed to Sirius's influence the fact that he was seriously worried about the aesthetic aspect of that adventure. After all, the theme was clearly romantic... He picked up a helmet with a magnificent golden plume. He slipped the plume into one of his pockets, hid the helmet under his Cloak and went back to his chambers.

After repeating for the umpteenth time his one thousand and one warnings, Severus pressed Harry against the wall and gave him one of those kisses that made Harry melt. Harry had to take a deep breath before putting on the Invisibility Cloak again. Severus placed the ptyx in his hand, and Harry was sent straight to the Head's office.

There were two Aurors inside the office. Harry knew any mistake could be fatal. The day before, Remus had used the surprise factor to full advantage, but now everyone was talking about the water lily, thanks to their own leaking, and the Aurors were very watchful. Harry planned his own movements carefully before casting a Levitation Spell along with a Permanent Freezing Charm, all non-verbally. Harry left the helmet hovering in the air and held the ptyx. He still could see the Auror advancing blindly towards him, and was glad to open his eyes and see Severus before him.

Harry's heart was racing. Severus embraced him even without seeing him. The connection between them was so strong that Severus always knew where Harry was, even when he was wearing the Cloak.

"Did anyone see you?" whispered Severus.

"I don't think so. Phew."

"Let's go to bed. It's late."

sSsSs

**IV - Plume**

On the afternoon of the fifth day, ten minutes before the beginning of classes, Severus called Draco to his office.

"Draco, what are the students saying about the latest events?"

"Ah, it's a bloody mess. The craziest theories."

"Did you hear anything that attracted your attention?"

Draco became thoughtful. "Well, yesterday night, in the middle of the Astronomy class, Professor Wyrd entered Professor Sinistra's classroom and said she'd seen Professor Sinistra going down the stairs from the Astronomy Tower on the night of the theft, and that she should be careful. Professor Sinistra became enraged and pushed Professor Wyrd out of her classroom, claiming it had been Wyrd who had gone to the Astronomy Tower that night without permission, and that that hadn't been the first time she'd gone there with her lover. Professor Sinistra said that if she saw Wyrd and her lover in the Astronomy Tower again, she'd talk to the Headmistress."

Severus couldn't suppress a smirk. "And who, according to the rumours, is this... lover?"

"Why, it's Professor Fence, of course."

Severus shook his head. That was all they needed: a love triangle at Hogwarts. Wyrd and Sinistra struggling for Fence. But... was there anything beyond that?

"I told you everything I knew," said Draco. "Now it's your turn. What's _really_ happening here?"

Severus prepared himself to do his part in the "leaking" of the latest news. To hell with subtlety: once rumours were spread, no one could tell who had started them. Hopefully. "I wish I knew. The latest rumours are that a helmet appeared in the Head's office. First a water lily, and now a helmet. The Investigation Committee seems to be under a Confundus Charm. Apparently those objects appear in the Head's office and no one can remove them from there." When he saw Draco's eyes widening. Severus decided it was enough. "Now go, or we will both be late for class."

At night, Severus took the golden plume to the Head's office. It was an easy task; the plume was a very small object. Severus had been assigned with an easier task because not only he would have to take another object to the Head's office, but he would also play a more complex role in the last part of the plan.

Since Severus could be discreet when he wanted to be, none of the Aurors noticed at first that the plume had joined the helmet. It was a piece of cake. If only the other tasks were as easy as that one!

sSsSs

**V - Tapestry**

Right from the beginning, Sirius had been chosen as the one who would create the tapestry and take it to the Head's office. As Sirius didn't know where to find material to weave one, he thought it would be easier to pick one of Hogwarts tapestries and use it as a basis.

He wanted a colourful and _versatile_ tapestry, one that would allow him to execute variations... On the seventh floor, he found exactly what he wanted. There were a few moth-eaten holes in it, but it was an animated tapestry! It had to be that one. On the same night that Severus put the plume in the helmet, Sirius returned to the seventh floor after curfew. He looked around — there wasn't anyone in the corridor. He took out his wand, transfigured the tapestry into a ring and slipped it on to his finger.

Remus welcomed him back in his chambers with a look of curiosity. "Got it?"

"Yeah!" answered Sirius.

"Did anyone see you?"

"I hope not."

"Which tapestry did you choose?" asked Remus.

"The one with the trolls in tutus."

Remus widened his eyes, but didn't say a word.

Sirius grabbed the mirror to contact Severus (4). The latter wasn't happy to know about Sirius's choice, though.

"Are you out of your mind? That tapestry, besides being animated, is one of the _flashiest_ things in this castle! Its absence may be easily detected and notified to the Committee, or to the Headmistress."

Sirius shook his head. "Severus, Severus. The students will love us for having removed that monstrosity. The whole bloody thing is obscene. Our popularity will rise to new heights when people find out what we did."

Severus glared at him. Even through the mirror, Severus's eyes seemed to gleam with a dark fire. "Don't even think of damaging the tapestry. It is the property of Hogwarts."

Sirius sighed. "All right, I'll only rearrange its elements to form new images, but the previous images will be easily recovered later. Since you are so fond of trolls in tutus..."

"As you are bone-idle, you will have time enough to do a good job," remarked Severus, with his usual sarcasm.

"Don't call me bone-idle. Don't forget that one of the reasons why I'm writing our story is that I want posterity to remember your greasy ingratitude. But don't worry. I already knew that, due to my artistic skills, I'd be the one chosen for this task." Sirius stuck out his chin. "Even if I have to spend the night awake, I promise tomorrow night the tapestry will be ready. I'll have to cast a Dormant Animation Spell, to be activated later, but when it is activated... it will be glorious."

"Black, don't be an idiot. You need to rest to be in good condition tomorrow. Even a wizard as incompetent as you can finish the tapestry before tomorrow night if you start early in the morning. Use a Knitting Charm. Lupin, take him to bed _now_."

"Why, Severus, you surprise me. I never thought I'd..."

Severus turned his back to the mirror and left Sirius talking alone.

Sirius quirked an eyebrow at Remus. "He ordered us to bed."

"I know you don't like to obey his orders, but this particular order is... how can I say..."

"Lustful," said Sirius, pushing Remus down to the bed.

sSsSs

The following night, after midnight, they gathered again in Severus's office.

Sirius cheered inside when Severus couldn't help staring in amazement at Sirius's tapestry. He loved to surprise Severus. The tapestry depicted only a lake with a boat floating under the willows' shade, but Severus could surely _sense_ the concealed spells that would trigger the animation.

Harry covered Sirius with his Invisibility Cloak. Remus blindly searched for Sirius's lips; Sirius helped him, turning his face to Remus to receive the good luck kiss. Finally, Sirius stretched his hand out of the Cloak and Severus placed the ptyx in it.

When Sirius found himself in the Head's office, he noticed that, besides the two Aurors, Nulligan himself was guarding the place, sitting at Minerva's old desk. He would have to make some changes to the plan. Under the Invisibility Cloak, Sirius caught his wand and cast a Levitation Spell on one of the mysterious objects on the shelf behind the desk. Nulligan promptly stood up, and the two other Aurors ran towards the object. Meanwhile, with all the quickness, dexterity and grace he could manage, Sirius produced the tapestry from within the Cloak and stuck it to the wall with a Non-Verbal Permanent Sticking Charm. Then he put his hand into his pocket and squeezed the ptyx.

sSsSs

**VI - Mirror**

Severus had been working on the mirror for four days, during his rare spare time. He had decided to use his ordinary bathroom mirror instead of his scrying mirror — in spite of its idiosyncrasy, the scrying mirror had proved to be useful in the past. After spending the whole Sunday working on it, Severus could finally tell Harry that the bathroom mirror was ready to fulfil its important role.

"How many spells did you cast on it?" asked Harry.

"I had to cast four complex and interconnected spells. The first spell will make its dimensions enlarge; the second, will make it crack diagonally, from corner to corner. Coupled to this Cracking Charm, I cast a Sound Amplifier Spell. The fourth spell is a Delaying Spell, which will trigger the spells at the right time." Severus looked around his office. "Has Black brought your Cloak back?"

"Yes. He grumbled a lot. He said he had to spend more than an hour by the gargoyle to find out the new password."

"Well? Did he find it out?"

"He did. It's 'rhombus'."

"Rhombus? Why would they choose such a word?"

"There were four of them, too, when they arrived here," replied Harry.

"Ah. The dunderheads of the Investigation Committee."

"You're too tense," observed Harry.

"I'm concentrating on the task at hand."

Harry approached him and embraced him. "I know."

Severus reciprocated the embrace. Harry massaged his tense muscles. For a few moments, Severus let his body relax at the firm touch of Harry's hands.

Before leaving, Severus helped himself to a dose of absinthe. Harry looked at him with a frightened expression.

Severus tried to reassure him. "It's a small dose. It will give me just the _push_ that I need."

Harry smiled. "Don't worry, Severus. Everything's going to be all right."

Harry's smile brightened his soul. Severus did believe everything would be all right. He donned the Invisibility Cloak, covered the mirror with it and held the ptyx in his hand.

He found himself in the middle of a room full of Aurors. Luckily, he hadn't stumbled on any of them. However, it didn't matter how many Aurors were in the Head's office: Severus cast a Non-Verbal Impedimenta, paralysing all of them. Taking care not to be seen, Severus hung the mirror in front of the shelf that stood behind the desk, at an angle with the tapestry. Everything was ready. Severus held the ptyx again and returned to his chambers.

Severus was taking off the Invisibility Cloak, under the anxious look of Harry, when a thundering noise resonated all over the castle, shaking its structures.

"Let's go, Harry. The mirror has cracked. There's no time to lose."

TBC... (Just one part to go.)

**Notes:**  
(1) From the poem "The Lady of Shalott", by Alfred Tennyson.  
(2) The scrying mirror appeared in "Baphomet I", chapters V and VII, and also in "Baphomet II", chapter II.  
(3) As explained in "Baphomet II", one of the many functions of the ptyx was acting as a Permanent Portkey that enabled Snape to get in and out of the Head's office at Hogwarts.  
(4) Remember that Sirius's mirror could be used to communicate with Severus's scrying mirror (Baphomet II).


	3. Chapter 3

**Part III**

Harry was the last one to enter the Head's office, after Sirius, McGonagall and the other twelve professors (no one had bothered to call Binns). Professor Fence took his inseparable chest with him.

Although Harry already knew what he would find in the Head's office, he couldn't help gaping when he saw the impressive mirror, cracked from side to side, behind the Headmistress' desk.

The room was crowded, and the members of the Committee looked stunned. No wonder. If Severus had followed their plan, the Aurors had been frozen, and Severus had just undone the Freezing Charm. Nulligan was apparently trying to take the reins of the situation, but the room was full and everyone's eyes were on Severus.

"The explanation for the events that have been observed in this castle is quite simple," said Severus, positioning himself between the tapestry and the mirror. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but his mere presence was enough to keep the audience silent. Even Nulligan stopped talking, and frowned at Severus. Although Severus wasn't the tallest wizard in the room (Sirius and two of the Aurors were taller than he was), he seemed to loom over all of them. With a wave of his wand, Severus opened all the windows in the office, and a cold, piercing wind entered, bringing with it the scents and sounds of an approaching storm. "In this very room, a crime was committed. An important hallow of our castle was stolen. Like you, I didn't discern the signs at first; I couldn't see what was right before my eyes. But now I can see clearly: someone in this castle is trying to show us who stole the sword of Gryffindor, and where the sword was hidden."

"How can this be?" asked Flitwick.

"Listen to what I have to say and you shall know, as I do, how this crime has been committed," said Severus. "A water lily, a helmet, a plume, a tapestry and, last but not least, a cracked mirror. Why, ladies and gentlemen... There is a celebrated poem which contains all those elements!"

"The Lady of Shalott, by Alfred Tennyson!" exclaimed Minerva, shaking her head. "How could I have missed the clues?"

"Exactly, my dear Headmistress." Severus made a dramatic gesture with his head. "I can see the whole scene as plainly as if it were happening right now," he said, spinning around and pointing his wand at the tapestry. "'Willows whiten, aspens quiver/ Little breezes dusk and shiver / Thro' the wave that runs for ever'," recited Severus, indicating the willow on the tapestry. "'There she weaves by night and day / A magic web with colours gay.'"

"The tapestry!" exclaimed Remus.

"Yes, our criminal was weaving evil schemes. 'And moving thro' a mirror clear / That hangs before her all the year/ Shadows of the world appear'" declaimed Severus, a fanatical gleam in his eyes. "'She left the web, she left the loom/ She made three paces thro' the room'" In three steps, Severus reached the south window, which opened to the lake. Everyone turned to him and followed his movements. "'She saw the water-lily bloom/ She saw the helmet and the plume/ She look'd down to Camelot.'"

Severus turned around to face his audience, pointing his wand at the tapestry again. At that precise moment, Sirius activated the tapestry's animation spell. The silhouette of McGonagall flying down towards the lake on a magic tapestry appeared on the tapestry that was in the Head's office. A murmur of astonishment arose from the audience.

"'Out flew the web and floated wide; / The mirror crack'd from side to side; / 'The curse is come upon me,' cried / The Lady of Shalott'," recited Severus, in a tragic tone. Some people in the audience widened their eyes; others frowned in bemusement. "A water lily, a helmet, a plume, and a mirror. There is no doubt, ladies and gentlemen. 'Out flew the web and floated wide'. Our thief flew on a magic tapestry and landed by the lake. There, the criminal placed the sword of Gryffindor into a boat."

At that moment, when Severus looked ready to say the name of the criminal, a loud bang was heard in the room, and a few feet from where Harry was, people started to scream and push the others back.

"Calm down, everyone!" shouted McGonagall.

Gradually, as if realising there was no reason for panic, people stopped pushing and shouting. Harry approached the centre of the turmoil and saw Trelawney and Fence sprawled upon the floor, with Fence's chest open and many weird objects scattered around: skulls, bottles, candles, a dried aardvark, a dried crocodile head...

"Are you crazy?" asked Fence, standing up and jumping on Trelawney, who had staggered up and was as pale as a ghost. He shook her by the shoulders. "Why did you do that?"

Trelawney's glasses were lopsided so that one eye was magnified more than the other. She looked utterly mad. "You... you l-lied about the ch-chest?" she stuttered.

"You foolish woman! What did you want, to destroy Hogwarts, so that no one could find out about your crime? If you didn't live in a world of fantasy, you would've realised what my chest contained when I showed you my catalogue." Fence turned to the other people in the room. "Listening to Snape's speech, I deduced who stole the sword of Gryffindor. I myself sold that flying tapestry to Sybill Trelawney."

sSsSs

Pressed by the Headmistress and the other teachers — especially Snape, who seemed to know when she tried to lie — Trelawney confessed and described how she had committed the crime. Then she showed everyone the place where she had buried the glass case containing the sword, at the foot of an aspen tree across the lake.

Nulligan tried to take control of the whole operation, but was systematically and completely ignored. Frustrated, he decided to take measures to leave Hogwarts as soon as possible: he activated the Floo Network and asked the Ministry to send a squad of Hit Wizards.

When Trelawney and Fence were taken to Azkaban by the Hit Wizards, Nulligan called Tadg Fortescue to his office at Hogwarts.

"So, what happened here?" asked Nulligan. "I didn't understand half of it. If you don't make me a report of all that happened, I won't be able to talk to my superiors."

"No problem, Chief, I'll tell you everything. Damn, Chief, you know what? I thought of that Tennyson poem as soon as the plume appeared in the Head's office. A water lily, a helmet, a plume..."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it was too obvious!" said Tadg, sighing.

"Haven't you read in the Aurors' Manual that the most obvious explanation is the correct one?" asked Nulligan, feeling hypocritical, since nothing that had happened in that case had seemed obvious to him. "Oh, forget it. Tell me the whole story, from the beginning."

"Right," said Tadg. "The sword of Gryffindor was stolen by that seer..."

"That part I understood," snapped Nulligan, annoyed.

"Fence smuggled magic objects in his free time. It was him who sold the flying tapestry to Trelawney a few days ago."

"The Lady of Shalott tapestry?" asked Nulligan, interrupting Fortescue.

"Yes. Trelawney said she was afraid of being fired by the Headmistress, who had never concealed her disdain for Trelawney's prophecies. So the seer felt the need to show she was worthy. She had already been fired about two years ago, by Dolores Umbridge, and she didn't want to go through the same humiliation again. When Fence showed her the tapestry in his catalogue, the plan began to take form in her mind. She bought the tapestry and continued plotting her plan. On the night of the crime, she felt that the stars were especially favourable. At Slughorn's party, she smelled cabbage and realised the smell came from a cauldron full of Polyjuice Potion. She poured some of the potion into an empty wine bottle and hid it under her shawl. She wears loose, layered clothes, and rumours are she usually hides sherry bottles beneath them."

"A crazy drunkard," grumbled Nulligan.

"Then she stumbled on the Headmistress and plucked one of the Headmistress' hairs out," continued Fortescue, his attention focused on his report. "At night, Trelawney drank the potion, entered the Head's office and stole the sword. She didn't bother to take it from the case, because she wasn't really interested in the sword and didn't want to waste time trying to undo the locking spell that had been cast on it. She took the sword to her chambers and used the tapestry to fly down from the Divination Tower to the lake shore. She stepped into the magic boat, crossed the lake and buried the glass case containing the sword amidst the trees. After that, she returned in the same boat and used the tapestry to try to fly back to her Tower. However, she lost control and flew too high. She ended up in the Astronomy Tower. She managed to enter the Tower; then she went down all the staircases and climbed to her own Tower."

"You forgot to mention that Professor Wyrd saw Trelawney," observed Nulligan.

"Oh, yes, it's true. When Trelawney was still in the Astronomy Tower, Professor Wyrd, who happened to be around, saw her. The effect of the potion Polyjuice Potion hadn't worn off yet, so it was McGonagall's body that Wyrd saw. The next day, after thinking about what had happened, Wyrd concluded the person she had seen was Professor Sinistra, since she was in the Astronomy Tower."

"To sum up: Trelawney stole the sword to fulfil her own prophecy, for fear of being fired," said Nulligan. "The sword didn't matter to her; she just had to hide it. When she realised Snape was about to denounce her, she cast an Unlocking Spell on Fence's chest, and slammed into Fence, to make the chest fall down and open. She tried to turn the table, and ended up spilling the beans."

"Chief, I believe the explanation is more complex. I believe she has a serious problem with alcohol, and is becoming paranoid. Being the son of an alcoholic, I recognise the symptoms," said Tadg. "She thought the Headmistress didn't think much of her, and..."

"Well, she wasn't wrong, was she? From what I heard, the Headmistress considers her a fraud. Trelawney didn't need to be paranoid to think she could be fired if she didn't show she was competent."

"Right, even normal people have this kind of suspicion and fear, but..."

"... they usually don't steal a sword to prove their own prophecies are right, and don't try to destroy everything around them so as not to be caught," finished Nulligan.

"Exactly. But it's not just that. I think she really suffers from a Lady of Shalott complex."

"What kind of complex is that, Tadg?"

"Oh, the Victorian woman, who lives in seclusion inside her tower, in a world of dreams," said Tadg. "I think she believed it was her Fate to fulfil the prophecy, you understand?"

"Ah! By Merlin. She has, indeed, fulfilled the prophecy," said Nulligan.

"Yes. We can accuse her of being a thief, but we can't accuse her of being a fraud."

"Tadg, cases like this are bad for my health. Let's get out of here, and then you'll tell me what all that business with the water lily, the helmet, the plume and everything was about."

sSsSs

The sun was rising when everything calmed down again and Minerva called Harry, Remus, Severus and Sirius to the Head's office — which was _hers_ again.

Minerva drew up wooden chairs for all of them. "Have a seat, gentlemen. It seems that _almost_ all the mysteries have been solved."

"What remains to be solved?" asked Harry.

"Oh, little details, like who told the Ministry about the theft," answered Minerva.

"Headmistress... " said the portrait of a red-nosed, corpulent wizard, sounding unsure and frightened.

"Mr Fortescue?" said Minerva.

"Tadg Fortescue is my great-grandson. He has a portrait of me in his sitting room, and we use to talk. On the morning after the theft, when you left for a staff meeting, we portraits talked about the theft, and Skocpol gathered courage and told us what he'd seen. Then I visited Tadg and mentioned that the sword of Gryffindor had been stolen and told him what Skocpol had said... I didn't realise what I was doing. Tadg has some strange ideas, so I always forget that he's also a clever young man. He used the information I provided to be nominated to the Investigation Committee, even though he's brand new to the Ministry."

"Ah!" exclaimed Remus. "That explains it."

Minerva glared at Fortescue's portrait. She would never trust him again.

"I'm sorry, Headmistress. I'll be more careful next time," promised Fortescue.

"Deep inside I am relieved. I was afraid it might have been one of my staff, someone who disagreed with my decisions. After all, we can never be too careful. Fence was a smuggler, and Sybill did all she did just because she supposed I was going to fire her..."

"And was she wrong? You weren't going to fire her?" asked Harry.

"I would probably have tried and convinced her to check into St Mungo's. Alcoholism is a serious problem, and unacceptable for a teacher," answered Minerva. "I do believe she wouldn't have done what she did if it weren't for the disease. I will testify on her behalf and suggest to the Wizengamot that her place is in St Mungo's, not in Azkaban."

"I'm not sure I believe in the idea that alcoholism is to blame for what she did," said Sirius. "For starters, she had to be sober to steal the sword the way she did. Frankly, her plan was quite clever, if a bit bizarre."

"I will never forget her expression when she left escorted by the Hit Wizards," said Severus. "She didn't think twice before opening that chest; she was ready to destroy Hogwarts. She is utterly insane."

"Don't you remember those lines in the final part of Tennyson's poem? 'Like some bold seer in a trance/ Seeing all his own mischance — / With a glassy countenance'. We should have suspected. Did you suspect her?" asked Sirius to Minerva.

"No. I must confess that my suspicions inclined towards more loyal and valuable people," replied Minerva. "I was tormented by the most terrible suspicions! I knew that Severus had that ptyx with him, and Harry had his Invisibility Cloak. The inferences were obvious."

"All inferences pointed to Harry and me," said Severus.

"Precisely. I was very afraid. My head and my heart were in a battle!" exclaimed Minerva. "During Severus's speech at this very room, my doubts started to fade, and I realised what you were doing. I didn't know, however, that Remus and Sirius were involved, too. I should have known!"

"I hope you forgive us," said Remus.

"Oh, I have already forgiven you. You were magnificent, all of you. You had Sybill so scared that she gave herself away. I have just one complaint: I would like to have my office back to its previous condition," said Minerva, gesturing to the tapestry, the helmet, the mirror... "I would also like to have the Barnabas the Barmy tapestry restored and back to its original place."

The four wizards exchanged a guilty and concerned look. Minerva could feel their pain: not only Permanent Sticking Charms and Permanent Freezing Charms were awfully difficult to undo, but restoring that ridiculous tapestry would surely be an ungrateful task.

"Minerva, may I make a little suggestion?" asked Albus's portrait, his eyes twinkling. "I believe a nice cup of tea with scones and muffins is in order, before anything else."

Minerva smiled, happy to have everything back to normal. "What a wonderful piece of advice, Albus!"

**The End**


End file.
